1 week down, 15 to go

Well, I have lived through my first week in Iraq. I've lived through a few mortar attacks, and managed to sleep through them more than anything. Not bad for the first week.

Work is already becoming monotonous and boring. We do the same thing over and over again. We add armor onto the 5 ton trucks that roll through here on convoy. We work 6 days a week, 12 hour shifts, and we work in teams. Every team member has a job that is done on every vehicle, and mine is to prep the armored cab and the battery box. Yippee. Takes all of 6 hours, if I take my time. We are working nights right now, and halfway through our deployment, we are supposed to shift to days. I don't really care, except it's hotter on days than it is on nights.

The setup over here isn't so bad. Good food in the chow hall, movies and TV's and a free laundry, a gym, phone center and library all in the area of the housing, so that's nice. There are shuttle buses that take us around to the Post Office, BX, Pool, things like that. Honestly, if this is supposed to be awful, it's not that bad. Not that I'd want to stay here any longer than I absolutely have to, but for the time I'm here, it's ok.

School is proving to be more of a challenge, since the time difference is 8 hours ahead of the East Coast in the States. But it's getting worked out, so I will probably be on a schedule sometime soon.

My parents currently have the kids, since Ziggy is in training out in California and I'm in Iraq. My mom was telling me that Scout is being a really big help to her with MiniZiggy. She also says that MiniZiggy has started pulling himself up on furniture to a stand. I hate that I'm not there to see it, but my mom is a decent substitute. She promises to send me pictures and plenty of cookies. She told Ziggy that MiniZiggy is the easiest baby that she's ever taken care of. And my mother has taken care of a LOT of children, seeing as she was a foster mother for a good long time. She says that MiniZiggy is a happy little boy, and that he will let her know when he needs something. She also said that he got passed around the nursery at church, and they put a sticker on his back saying that he'd had lots of hugs. I miss my kids so much.

Speaking of missing the family, it's not as bad as I had anticpated. Yes, it sucks being away, but I get regular emails from Ziggy and I can call my mom pretty regularly and talk to Scout and get updates on the kids, so that helps.

Well, I think that's all I have for now. Take care........